Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
By Willie Howard
Later this month, thousands of South Florida divers will descend below the waves in pursuit of those antenna-waving crustaceans known as spiny lobster — or, simply, “bugs.”
This year’s sport lobster season — two days set aside annually for recreational divers to catch spiny lobster before the commercial harvest begins — is July 30-31.
Those who choose to avoid the sometimes-crowded waters of the two-day sport season can dive for lobster when the regular season opens Aug. 6.
For divers who plan to hunt for bugs during the two-day sport season, a tradition for many Florida families, it’s a good idea to scout before the special season opens.
Scouting allows divers to pinpoint lobster hot spots while checking their scuba gear and practicing their dive protocols before the ocean and inshore waters become crowded.
Too many times in years past, divers who are out of shape or who haven’t been diving for a long time have descended onto Palm Beach County reefs on the first day of the mini lobster season and never surfaced.
If you’re not positive that your diving skills are sharp, consider taking a refresher course through a dive shop.
Remember to stay with the diver pulling the float-mounted flag that marks the whereabouts of divers in the water. Be sure to fly a dive flag from the boat. And be sure the person who stays on the boat knows when and where divers are due back on the surface — and what to do if they don’t surface on time.
Here’s a quick review of the basic rules for the two-day sport lobster season:
• For the two-day sport season only, the daily bag limit is 12 lobsters per person. Exception: The daily bag limit is six lobsters in Monroe County (the Florida Keys) and in Biscayne National Park.
• To be legal to keep, a lobster’s carapace, or head section, must measure more than 3 inches. Divers must carry a measuring device and measure lobster under water. Lobster must be kept intact until they’re brought ashore.
• No egg-bearing lobster may be taken. Look under the lobster for eggs, a spongy orange mass. It’s illegal to use spears or other tools that puncture a lobster’s shell.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license and lobster permit are required to harvest lobster unless you’re a Florida resident under age 16, age 65 or older or otherwise exempt from the fishing license requirement.
• A complete list of spiny lobster rules can be found at www.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lobster.
Divers should expect officers from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and other law enforcement agencies to check for violations of lobster and dive-flag laws during the two-day sport season.
Law enforcement officers also will be watching to ensure that boats supporting divers are flying red-and-white diver-down flags — and that other boaters steer clear of dive flags.
Dive flags on boats must be at least 20 inches by 24 inches and should have a stiffening wire that keeps them unfurled. Divers and snorkelers in the water must pull a float-mounted dive flag at least 12 inches square.
Boat drivers must make reasonable efforts to stay at least 300 feet (one football field) away from dive flags in open water and at least 100 feet away in rivers, channels and inlets. Boats approaching closer should do so at idle speed.
In recent years, the FWC has used radar to measure the distance between boats and dive flags.
For added safety in the Gulf Stream current that sweeps along the coast of Palm Beach County, some dive boat captains require divers to carry colorful, inflatable tubes that make them more visible if they become separated from groups.
Lynn Simmons, owner of Splashdown Divers at Boynton Harbor Marina, said her divers have been spotting bugs on the reefs in 45 to 80 feet south of Boynton Inlet.
Simmons tells lobster divers to practice their diving skills well before the two-day sport season and to take their time when searching for lobster.
“Being the first in the water doesn’t mean you’re going to get the first lobster,” she said.
Simmons asks divers to respect the reef while coaxing lobsters from hiding places.
“Some people think catching a lobster is more important than protecting his home,” she said.
Jim Hill, captain of the Loggerhead dive boat based at Boynton Harbor Marina, said he generally takes divers into depths ranging from 65 to 85 feet to search for lobster during the two-day sport season.
Hill breaks up his divers into small groups, with one dive flag towed by each group. The small-group system makes it easier for divers to stay near a dive flag as required.
Hill said divers were spotting lobsters on the reefs near Boynton Inlet in June. But that’s no guarantee they’ll be easy to find when the two-day sport season opens in late July.
“They have better calendars than we do,” Hill said, referring to lobsters. “On July 28, they’ll go and hide somewhere.”
Flotsam
• LagoonKeepers, the nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping Palm Beach County’s inshore waters clean and free of navigation hazards, offers free use of kayaks in eight locations, (including Boynton Harbor Marina) to members as long as they agree to pick up trash while they’re paddling. Participants are asked to photograph the trash they find and email the photos to LagoonKeepers. Membership costs $50 a year for individuals and $100 for families. For details, go to www.lagoonkeepers.org.
• A high school student fishing at night with friends over the Memorial Day weekend caught and released an 11-foot sawfish at Boynton Inlet. They captured the action on video. Smalltooth sawfish are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and must be released.
• The 20th annual Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing Tournament is set for Aug. 9 based at Veteran’s Park in Delray Beach. The captain’s meeting and final registration are scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Delray Beach Elks Lodge, 265 NE Fourth Ave. Find details at www.mgmft.net.
Tip of the month: Drift for blackfin tuna
Capt. Bruce Cyr of the Lady K drift boat in Lantana said his customers are catching tasty blackfin tuna by drifting dead sardines. He said the blackfin bite tends to be strong just before, during and after the full moon.
Try fishing with flat lines (no weight) or use an eighth- to a half-ounce of weight directly above the hook. Increase weight on bright days or in rough seas. Thread the sardine onto triple hooks tied to 50-pound-test monofilament or fluorocarbon leader.
Cyr also recommends another rig featuring about 4 feet of 30-pound-test fluorocarbon leader and a single, 5/0 circle hook.
He said the tuna often feed deeper in the bright sun and come to the surface on overcast days. In the ocean off Boynton Inlet, start fishing in 180 feet and drift in to about 70 feet. Also try deeper water out to 300 feet and try fishing with live sardines or pilchards.
There are no size or bag limits for blackfin tuna, but conservation-minded anglers release the small ones.
Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.
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